The Circular Staircase

on papers, the murder was not publicly known until Monday. The coroner himself notified the Armstrong family lawyer, and early in the afternoon he came out. I had

, thin man, and he looked as if he d

st unfortunate-and mysterious. With the father and mother in the west, I find e

ons, and I hope you will answer them. I feel that I am entitled to some kno

rstood me or not: he took of

py," he said with ol

Mr. Arnold Armstrong know th

d. In fact, I mysel

w who the t

es

g with the family for

rouble between Arnold and his father

came here last night to get posse

it hardly possib

e as he did. He had been staying at the club-house across the valley for the last week, Jarvi

to view the body before it was taken to the city. It had been lifted on to the billiard-table and a sheet thrown over it; otherwise nothing had been touched. A soft hat lay beside it, and the colla

and withdrew: she was the only one in the house who seemed to re

only have seen Halsey coming at his usual hare-brained clip up the drive, if I co

y afternoon calm, and far down the drive Mr. Jamieson was walking slowly, stooping now and

aid. "How often the sins of the fathers are vi

nold was a son by the first marriage. The second Mrs. Armstrong had been a widow, with a child, a little girl. This child, n

"sad part of my errand here to-day is to see if yo

seems unlikely, and my town house is being remodeled." At that

t come down, and there was no news of Halsey. Mr. Jamieson had taken a lodging in the village, and I had not seen hi

ve you found a clue that will

. "If you had killed Mr. Armstrong, you would have le

brought out two scraps of paper. "I have been to the club-house," he said, "and am

B. Innes." It was Halsey's flowing signature to a dot, but it lacked Halsey's ease. The ones t

one is merely curious; this one

the writing had been partly obliterated, was part of a letter-th

sible. The best way, in my opinion, would be to

was

, is there? A man ought to be able to change the plan

ong carry that around, unless it meant something? He never built a house, you may

I said scornfully. "Haven

bed, and a number of other things. The oddest part is, Miss Innes,

is amused smile put me on my mettle, and I rippe

o the tulip bed?" I

id good-humoredly, "which you ar

markable insight of yours, I wish you would tell me w

nd it about thirty miles away, at Andrews Station,

knitting then a

y?" I mana

aid "I am going to tell you that, when you t

an unfriendly stare; we were only measuring

examine the card-room and the staircase again.

I thought over the last forty-eight hours. Here was I, Rachel Innes, spinster, a granddaughter of old John Innes of Revolutionary days, a D. A. R., a

n coming rapidly back through the d

and light the east corridor? I have fastened somebody

d! up a

he murderer

was turned and ran up. I followed-it was dark-but as I turned the corner at the top a figure darted through this door and closed it. The bolt was on my side, and I pu

I hardly knew what I feared, but so many terrible and inexplic

" I said, "and I am g

up, as if it had been an afterthought of the architect. And just around the corner, in the small corridor, was the door Mr. Jamieson had indicated. I was still unfamiliar with the h

e-out," he repeated. Then-I think he had a revolver, but

n my knees had stopped shaking, I moved forward, slowly, nervously, until I had a partial view of what was beyond the door. It seemed at first to be a closet, empty. Then I

clothes chute. As I leaned over I fanc